'Jodi' the Nanotyrannus sells for $47.3 million at Sotheby's, far above its estimate

As of 6:43 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

A Nanotyrannus skeleton nicknamed "Jodi" sold for $47.255 million, including fees, at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday, far above its pre-sale estimate of $6 million to $9 million, Reuters reported.

Sotheby's said the sale made Jodi "the second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction," behind only Gus the T. rex, which the auction house sold in July for a record $50.1 million. "Six bidders battled for more than 12 minutes," Sotheby's said in a post on X, adding that the sale room "erupted into applause." The auction house rounded the final price to $47.3 million.

The buyer's identity was not disclosed, the BBC and The Associated Press reported. Sotheby's said its specialist Jodi Pollack was on the phone with the winning bidder.

The skeleton is the first of its kind to come to market since researchers confirmed that Nanotyrannus is its own genus and not an adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex, Sotheby's said. Sotheby's has described Jodi as one of only three Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science, with about 191 fossil bone elements and a "virtually complete skull," the BBC reported. Jodi was shown as a juvenile T. rex at London's Frieze Masters art fair in October 2023, before the genus was classified, according to the BBC.

The skeleton was found in Montana's Hell Creek Formation by rancher Jodi Pierson on her land, and later excavated by commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps, the BBC reported. The animal lived about 67 million years ago, alongside T. rex.

The sale has renewed debate among scientists over private ownership of major fossils. University of Edinburgh paleontologist Steve Brusatte told the BBC it was "harrowing to think it could disappear into the vaults of a collector rather than displayed on a museum." University of Portsmouth paleontologist Megan Jenkins told BBC Radio 4 there were "two sides" to the debate and that many such specimens end up in public view.

What is not known

The buyer's identity, and whether the skeleton will be publicly displayed or made available for research, have not been disclosed. GROKsiNEWS.com has not seen a breakdown of the price before fees from Reuters or Sotheby's.